the bag

as in the manly indiana jones carrier of found treasures bag.

this was henry's gift. i had originally intended to make it for his birthday back in august, but the cape, the cake, the planning, well . . .

i moved it to the christmas to do list and let it go. ahhhh.

so, of course i waited until christmas eve to sew this baby up. at least i had already cut the fabric. i'm getting smarter that way. i'm learning to cut and iron or iron and cut my next couple of projects or so at one time in the chance that i may find a moment to actually sew. that is if i take a break from knitting.

i knew i wanted to make henry a bag. he's a gatherer. he needed something for carrying his finds (and maybe a few of mine). it had to be durable and it had to be boyish. and i really had trouble finding a pattern i liked. then one day i happened upon this great pattern at mmmcrafts. i'm not quite sure how i ended up there but i am so happy i did. it was perfect! i only had to make a few modifications because henry is three and therefore short. so i shortened the strap (not enough) and made the bag itself a little bit shorter (i used one of his notebooks as guide). since i shortened the height of the bag i also made the exterior pocket a little smaller.

i have to admit i impressed myself with this project. the pattern was perfectly written and really couldn't have made it any easier, but i did things i had never done before in sewing. i made a bag with a liner! i added pockets!! i squared the corners!!!

i did have some troubles in the beginning and i am so glad they didn't deter me. when it comes to sewing it's too easy for me to let that happen. tension was a big problem. maybe because i was using a heavy fabric? i also tried using a heavier gauge needle and thread and then decided against it because the tension problem was getting worse. but, in the end i made it work.
and now the boy can tote his treasures. light saber, pez dispensers (aka action figures in our house), the infamous frog, and i can only imagine what else that bag will end up carrying.

i can't wait to see the treasures it carries home though!

the owl {complete}

as promised there are more gifts to share. this is one i am so proud of. it turned out so closely to how i had pictured it in my head before i began making it. basically, i made my own version of these.

i drew the pattern free hand and attempted several versions of legs and feet. i still don't feel i got that part quite right, but i'm still happy with the outcome. the best part was putting the fabrics together in different combinations, which is not my strong suit. the legs were originally going to be a dark red fabric with a black pattern, but those did not turn out so well. it was a good mistake because i love the stripey legs on the owl just as i like it when bea has stripey legs!

the fabrics are a mix of new, hand me down, and repurposed. years and years ago matt's grandma gave me bunches of fabric. two of those are what make up the wings. the corduroy is an old jacket of mine that i wasn't wearing anymore. the back is a fabric i've had for some time and have used little bits here and there. and the yellow and green striped fabric are relatively new and were meant for other projects but they just worked so well i had to use them. (i love that yellow!)

bea snuggled onto the owl right after she (with henry's help of course) opened it on christmas morning. it's a laugh to see her carrying this big bird around! it's great for breaking her falls. i think in the next few weeks a wee version of this owl may make its way to the sewing machine. something a little easier to tote around.

one more handmade coming tomorrow - if i can get some decent pictures.

the knitty gifts

well, now its time to start sharing all the good crafty things that were going on here over the past few months.
admittedly, most of the crafty time was spent on stockings. but once those were done i started on the projects that were intended for others and for warming. and then ended up with a pair myself because, well i had time and it was malabrigo. hard to resist that temptation.



i used this pattern which was so easily memorized and travelled well (and is also on ravelry). i was reluctant to knit them flat which is what the pattern calls for but i was afraid i would mess them up somehow if i knit in the round. which, by the way, i am sure a better knitter could do with no problems. oh they would knit so quickly in the round. i had these timed at about 2 netflix movies per pair. give or take a few breaks. and they are great by themselves or over your favorite gloves for added warmth.



**i did slip a stitch at the beginning of every row which i think made seaming them up a bit tidier**

and the malabrigo. oh my. i love this stuff. i went on a mini malabrigo binge i admit. but it was crazy economical in that i could get two. TWO. pairs of gloves from one skein. it really was a great gift to knit up. so soft. so warm. and choosing the colors was so difficult. i opted not to buy this buttery yellow and a grass green. they are still at the yarn shop and i swear to you i fondle them every time i go there. i presume they will make it home with me sometime soon.



those blue ones? yeah. those are mine.

just wanting to wish all of you a very merry christmas! christmas claus (as he has been dubbed in the lewis household) just left our house, so now the papa and i can start catching up on sleep. goodnight : )

just one more peek

almost done with bea's owl. i just need to close her up. i think i may need to remove some of the stuffing. i'm afraid the seams might be or get a little stressed. my feeling is that this owl may have a rough, but well-loved life. it's hard to tell from the picture this bird is quite large. almost as big as beazy herself. my mom had a good suggestion to make a little baby owl for bea to tote around or snuggle. i think i just might have to do that. after the holidays of course!

still a couple of projects left. one may not make it. i can't get the tension right on my sewing machine. if you have any suggestions i'd love to hear them. the tension is off on the bottom and i am using a heavy fabric (canvas). i thought i had it, but not quite. hello, seam ripper!


i may not be popping in the rest of the week, so if i don't -

merry christmas! i hope you are surrounded by those you love and that your days are filled with love, laughter, and light (and magic)!

peek

just a small one. started bea's owl last night. had to learn blanket stitch - (grateful for the internet. again.)
it seems to be coming together really well, but i am stuck on what or how to do the feet. those tricky owl tootsies!

this weekend and the few days i have next week will be all about mad dashes to the sewing machine when i can find a moment.

how is your holiday crafting coming along? anyone completely finished yet?

the last stocking (for this year)

i took up knitting sometime in late 2003. my gramma had knit everyone's christmas stockings in our family. starting with her seven children, their spouses or significant others, then their children, and even some of their children. i wanted this tradition to continue. so i bought a book thinking that the written/illustrated directions would be all i needed to get started, except for the basket of yarn and needles gramma gave me. well . . .

learning to knit from text + drawings was not enough. while i would have loved for gramma to have taught me how to knit it was not geographically possible. so, i signed on for a knitting class at a big box craft store. the classes were cheap and i could just pay as i went. i think i went to 4 classes. as many classes as it took me to learn to cast on, knit, and purl. from there i just practiced on scarves. (everyone got a scarf that year).

since then i have been a knitter on and off. i'm pretty sure i took a couple years off of knitting. not sure why that happened. maybe it was fear of moving beyond knitting long rectangles, i don't know. anyway, i vowed that would never, never happen again. i did take a summer break from knitting, but i was trying to become better at sewing. and i think i did. now i haven't touched the sewing machine (except for when i moved it to it's new home in my bedroom) for all the knitting i have been doing. there may be a seasonal cycle here. this winter i have chosen small, simple projects and have been very pleased with the amount of knitting i have accomplished. of course it helps that wee bea is growing and entertaining herself for longer stretches of time and i can squeeze in a few rows here and there with children underfoot. i surprised myself by getting 3 stockings done well before the holidays set in! many late nights and all 3 seasons of 30 rock on netflix were involved in that outcome though.



bea's stocking was knit a little out of pattern because i knit hers last. i ran out of red and my lys had run out too (and you know i wasn't going to wait until it came back in stock!). i decided to use some of that berroco that i have so much of. i was a little hesitant about using the mustard yellow even though it complimented the green so nicely. with matt's encouragement i kept going and i am very happy with the result. it gives the stocking a nice vintage look i think and i also like the earthy tones.

one of the things i love most about knitting these stockings is that except for one pattern all the patterns were the ones my gramma used. everyone's names are charted out right there on the pattern. i know who has what stocking. i like being able to add names to the charts. many of them are taped together because they have become so worn and i now keep them in plastic sleeves.

now all the stockings are hung by the fire and i don't have to take out of focus pictures of the mantle like last year so bea won't know she didn't have a handknit stocking. now her stocking is there, right where it should be. and i must say it looks perfect hanging there!

there has been knitting

i promise. and i have proof!



three christmas stockings to knit this year. well, truth be told, one should have been done last year, but don't tell bea.

my cousin dan and his wife lauren welcomed whit to their family earlier this year. his was done first. i always have issues with knitting the names and this stocking was no exception. i think i had to frog and restart the name 3 times before i was satisfied.
my problem not the patterns (as usual). and i am not too good at colorwork, but these stockings are good practice.



next came my cousin nicole's little boy braylon's stocking. i used the same pattern my gramma used for mine which was fun. i should have taken a picture of them next to each other. little braylon is just four months old and almost as big as bea! another technique i need to practice and i definitely got to do on these projects was seaming. not perfect, but getting better!



and beazy's stocking. sweet girl should have had hers last year but it just never got started. and i did hers last this year, since it didn't require shipping i figured i had up until the last minute to get it finished. i can happily say that other projects can be worked on into the wee hours of the next couple weeks. bea's stocking is finished (except for a few loose ends) and is hanging on the mantle. i'll share that next week.

the rest of the projects i have planned are fairly simple and should be stress free. many are already started and are workable while children are present! a few require sewing and may be trickier because, well, i am not a seamstress and because i am
experimenting with making my own patterns, except for this one - but i will still have to modify it a bit.

how is your holiday crafting going?

more florida

we took a boat trip up to sarasota for the afternoon. it was warm and sunny, but that wind put a chill in you. henry makes a great first mate. that is until he grabs the gear shifter and down shifts completely in one fell swoop. poor kid. the way grandpa and i grabbed at him we scared the you know what out of him. (honestly, it scared the hell out of me when he did it). thank goodness he didn't throw into reverse is all i can say. and as always, sweet bea slept through most of the ride.

we docked the boat at some swanky dive and snuck over to a more laid back kind of place. had a decent lunch and listened to the most monotonous live singer i have ever heard. not even remotely entertaining. he was just paid background noise. so, i digress. after the eats we all went for a walk in the park where the boy pretended to be indy jones climbing around the trees. he also wanted to play frisbee. there were a lot of bee games going on. and he really wanted in on one.

then we headed back to the boat and started for home. henry and i spent much of our time down in the cabin messing around and being silly and singing pirate songs.

and of course taking pictures.

holidays: round 2 part 2

early in the morning, the day after christmas we piled into the car (with dog) to head to florida to visit with matt's family. no sooner had we gotten the dog in the car did she decide to flip out. high pitched squealing (this is actually pretty normal when she is anxious or excited), and she was just spazzing. she was trying to jump over the seat which would have landed her smack on top of bea. not a good situation with a 65 pound dog. she's getting old and she just doesn't travel well anymore. we can't board her, we never have. thankfully we have a great friend, mariann (THANK YOU!), that we were able to call and ask her to watch mason for us. if she hadn't been so obliging, this would have been the car trip from hell.

but because of mariann, two complying children, and a wonderful husband who drove the entire way so i could finish my last knit gift, the trip went off without a hitch. bea and henry travelled great, though bea did cry the last 20 minutes out of hunger, poor thing.

we had a great time in florida. a little swimming here and there, soaking in the hot tub, picking fresh grapefruit from the yard (and lemon limes for our beers), chasing ali the dog around the house. all the good stuff.

we visited the crazy but always good christmas house one night. then another day we took a boat trip to sarasota for lunch and a walk in the park. on another day we went to snook haven on the myakka river for lunch and live music. and a couple days at the beach combing for shells. it was a full and relaxing trip. and it went quick.





the only downer was everyone came down with some 24 hour bug and henry got his the night before we planned on leaving at 4 am. so terrible seeing your little one feeling so crappy and not being able to do anything about it. though it still amazes me that i can handle the vomit like a pro.
so, we ended up letting henry sleep as long as he could and waited to see how he was feeling. he seemed okay so we packed finished packing up the car and said our goodbyes. we hit the road back to home around 9 am and our 8 hour trip turned into a 12 hour trip. thank you college bowl games that were apparently all played in florida. (what do i know?) we sat in bumper to bumper traffic on a 3 lane highway for i don't know how many hours. so we had a kid that felt like crap (but wasn't puking) and a baby who hadn't been held most of the day. it wasn't pretty, but we were so glad to be home when we got there.

more to come . . .

holidays: round 2

ah, where to start.

first i hope all of you enjoyed the holidays and were all safe and healthy and most importantly surrounded by those you love.

we had a nice little break that started on christmas eve and ended just this weekend.
christmas day began with us waking up to the sound of gifts being torn open by henry. yes, he bypassed our bedroom door and headed straight for the loot. my response was a loud, "nooooooo!". so we missed him opening his first gift, but we had so much fun watching him the rest of the morning. this was his first year really being able to open the gifts himself with a few breaks to gnaw on one of the candy canes he'd been eyeing the entire month of december. and sweet little bea slept through the entire affair.





later that morning we headed to my mom's house for more gift giving and receiving and of course, christmas dinner. we were all terribly spoiled by my mom and my sister. (thank you, both). i now have what i hope to be enough instructional books on sewing to get me going and keep me motivated. so many things to make and so little experience. matt scored with some great art books and for all of us we received the planet earth dvd set. i am really looking forward to watching those. we've been enjoying blue planet (to be honest, the word 'enjoying' is an understatement. there are things in this series that completely blow my mind>), but somehow we missed the planet earth series.





so that was our holiday at home in a nutshell. serious over-indulgence. lots of fun, lots of food and lots of photos.
and let me tell you, the photos i took this christmas were craptastic! as this and the next few posts will prove. i'll be back tomorrow to give a few details about our trip to florida. it's great to be back but, right now, laundry is beckoning to me and i must heed its call.

merry christmas

wishing you all a holiday filled with love and joy!



*** taking a break for a week or so to visit the in-laws. looking forward to reconnecting with you in the new year! ***

feeling a bit like this lately?



me? i am going back and forth. some days i have the spirit others i don't. this week, not so much.
first of all, while the rest of the country is getting blanketed in snow and ice - we are experiencing record highs (70's). while some of you may envy this, it doesn't really help put you in a holiday mood. i need to be inside crafting and baking, when i really just want to be outside. i'm having trouble splitting my time up.

speaking of baking. i discovered over the weekend that i am not one of those people who excels at baking and decorating sugar cookies (i really do envy you people). especially when my two year old helper has barely napped and i am already in a pissy mood. not a good combination.
then it also doesn't help that i pretty much suck at baking and decorating sugar cookies. i promised henry that we would get better at this as the years go by. then as i am beginning to clean up this is what i witness:





okay. so next year i can just have him do it on his own. even better! *and for the record, i looked nowhere near at ease as he did.*

i'm trying to stick with the things i do grasp and have a small amount of experience with. it's a little limiting. but i am making do. and without trying to rush or stress myself, i still have several projects to start and complete over the next week. so i will be popping in and out, here and there over the next week.



i know many of you will be working your magic at full speed over the next week too. hang in there, and stay calm and relaxed (and breathe). enjoy your gift of craftiness. you are what makes this time of year special for those around you, so take time to revel in it too.

upcycling the holidays

yesterday i posted a picture of my recycled garland i made last year. it came about because i never knew what to do with all of our christmas cards we receive and i hated throwing them out (well, into the recycle bin, but still). i don't think this is my original idea, but i can't recall where the idea came from (if anyone knows, let me know).

after the holidays, i gather all of our cards we received from our family and friends, some thread (ribbon would be nice), a package of zots, and a 1.5 inch and a 2 inch cirlce punch.
first i take the circle punches to the cards. then i stick a zot onto one of the cut-outs and place the thread onto the zot and sandwich it in there with another cut-out, so that there is an image on both sides. that's it. it's that simple. and i think it's really pretty cute.









i think with this years cards i will add an even larger punch to the mix and then punch small holes in the cut outs and string with ribbon.

*since i used such thin thread, storing this was a concern. i just took a piece of cardboard and carefully wrapped the garland around it. *

do you have any creative ideas for repurposing the holiday cards you receive? i'd love to hear them!

tis the season (now get to work)

i feel very neglectful of this space and that i am hurriedly putting posts up here just to be posting. i think some days will just be hit or miss as things are getting busier and busier around here (as i am sure it is with you also). i have much knitting and creating to do. henry is very interested and curious about christmas this year, so i want to take things slow and enjoy this season with him and experience it a little more through his eyes and get him involved.
so if you are wondering what i am up to i am doing a lot of knitting (i always start my holiday knitting in november),

cutting, gluing, painting (assisting henry really)
and baking (inspired by diane and her study plan i am baking all of our bread).

sporadically putting up the holiday decorations as i find them or make them. listening to holiday music and enjoying some evenings by the fire. having a few cups of hot chocolate or maybe a glass of wine. and always. always. wishing for snow (and for someone to clean my windows).




*and if you like that star made from sticks and jute, head over to a foothill home companion for better pictures and a tutorial. (henry loves helping with this one, he is a master stick gatherer)!

back from the feast

we are back from the great's and it was a great start to the holiday season. i don't know about you, but our thanksgivings are never a quiet affair. there are too many of us. it's always loud and its always good. i wish it happened more than once a year.
i hope all of you enjoyed your time with your family as much we enjoyed ours.